A legacy gift ensures state-of-the-art health care for future generations
The power of music therapy: Kathy Jenkins learned to play the piano to support her recovery after she received neurosurgery at VGH. supplied
Kathy Jenkins was living on Vancouver Island in 2012 when she faced a life-threatening medical emergency – a brain aneurysm that had burst. Local clinicians quickly determined that Ms. Jenkins needed the kind of complex care that was available only at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH).
She was flown out to the mainland, where VGH neurosurgeon Dr. Gary Redekop and his medical team ran a series of brain scans, assessed Kathy’s condition and performed neurosurgery.
“When it seemed to my husband after my brain aneurysm that there was no other recourse, Dr. Redekop was there to take additional brain scans, which showed my life could be saved,” Ms. Jenkins says. “He and his team at VGH then performed surgery to repair my brain. I am forever grateful to them.”
Those feelings of gratitude inspired Ms. Jenkins and her husband Scott to make the decision to leave their entire estate to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. Leaving a legacy was as simple as drafting a will and notifying the Foundation of their intent. A simple phone call later, and their joint estate was set up to be disbursed when the time comes.
The Jenkins, who don’t have children, want to use their estate to make a positive impact on future generations. “I know firsthand how important it is to support world-class care that is made available right here in B.C. through donations. It’s an easy choice,” says Ms. Jenkins.
Their legacy gift will specifically support imaging equipment at VGH. It was the images from her brain scans that Dr. Redekop used to save her life, so Ms. Jenkins understands the importance of having the best equipment available to make life-saving decisions. “Everybody at some point in their life has to have imaging,” she says.
“We are honoured and grateful that patients like Kathy Jenkins have been inspired to support us because of the high-quality care they have received,” says Charlene Taylor, Director, Gift & Estate Planning, at VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.
Philanthropy through gifts in wills and other forms of legacy giving have a tremendous impact, Ms. Taylor says, as they are building a foundation for future care. There has been an increase in the numbers of legacy donations to the Foundation in recent years, and the pace has accelerated since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“The pandemic led many people to focus on getting their estate plans together, a trend that has been seen in many parts of our society,” she says. “For example, many of the estate planning professionals that we work closely with are also seeing an uptick in interest in creating or updating wills. People have realized the importance of health care during the pandemic.”
Ms. Taylor stresses that a legacy gift is easy to arrange and depending on the individual or family’s specific financial situation, can provide tax benefits to their estate. She encourages everyone to seek advice from their trusted professional advisors about the options that will best meet their specific needs.
Legacy gifts benefit both the individual and VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, she says.
“Legacy giving is often an opportunity for an individual to make their largest gift ever. Assets increase in value over time, so it’s often a chance to make a significant impact beyond what is possible during their lifetime.
“Legacy gifts provide sustainability to our hospitals and health-care centres,” adds Ms. Taylor. “Health-care needs are going to be there for generations to come. These gifts will help us to purchase vital equipment such as MRIs and other imaging equipment, to conduct world-class research and to recruit the best and brightest health-care professionals.”
Individuals can direct their gifts to a specific area, as Kathy Jenkins did for imaging, or they can make an unrestricted donation so that the funds are directed to the most important priorities many years from now when the gift is realized.
“The future of our hospitals and the health care we provide is very much dependent on philanthropy,” says Ms. Taylor. “When people ask me about what they can achieve with a donation, I tell them the impact they will have on future generations will be powerful and, essentially, priceless.”
Knowing that she can make this kind of impact is rewarding for Ms. Jenkins. “This is our legacy,” she says. “To know that our estate will be used to help people in need is the greatest gift of all.”
For more information, visit vghfoundation.ca/gift-in-will or contact Charlene.Taylor@vghfoundation.ca.
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To view the full report as it appeared in The Globe's print edition: Estate planning & legacy giving